The Happiest We Ever Were
by annabeth-in-olympus
Summary: Percy/Annabeth scene, with a little Grover. Fluff, friendship, as canon as possible. College era. From this prompt: Things You Said When We Were the Happiest We Ever Were.


They drove through the night. Annabeth curled herself into a ball in the backseat and slept, the oversize hoodie pulled over her face. Lights from tunnels and towers and other cars striped through the window. Percy drove, with Grover beside him in the front seat, talking in low voices and listening to whatever station that wasn't just static.

At one point, Annabeth blinked awake to hear them discussing a Wendy's drive-thru stop. "Get me a milkshake," she yawned, adjusting to get comfortable.

"No, no, no! The whole rule of this trip was french fries only! A fries only road trip—" Grover burst, holding up his hands.

"And besides, this car is new and you're barely awake. People in the backseat don't get to make decisions." Percy finished, snaking a hand back to squeeze her ankle.

She hit his hand. "New. That's generous." She yawned again; she really wasn't awake enough to fight them. "You guys are mean and just want to be in charge."

One of them said something to the other that she didn't catch. Percy made a kissy face at her in the rearview mirror; she scowled at him and closed her eyes again. "You better do it, or…"

"Or you'll love me forever?" He was far too comfortable with his place in her life.

"Or I'll kill you both." Her sleepy voice held zero malice.

Grover snorted and turned up the radio. "Yeah, we know you're real tough."

The next thing she knew, they were in a different town, she was sitting up and stretching, and there was a medium-sized milkshake sitting on the console in front of her.

"Awww!" She leaned forward, a smile crowning her face. "You old softies."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her in the mirror. "Is someone in perhaps a better mood now?"

She rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder, smiling slightly around the straw. He kept her hand for a minute, holding it briefly to his lips.

"It's probably sludge by now." Grover said. "We tried to wake you, but you were out like a light. You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't drive."

"That's right. I never kid." Annabeth sat back and looked out the window, letting the rising sun warm her face, illuminate her hair. It was true that she'd been in a peevish mood. Percy had gently suggested she take a little nap; it had turned into an all-night slumber.

She sighed contentedly and stretched her legs. "So, are we there yet?" She bit the end of her straw and grinned. Her tone was sunny now, but Percy still gave her a look.

"What? I'm just re-joining the party, looking for an ETA…"

Grover turned around. "Actually…I kinda, sorta got us a little lost. The GPS went haywire! But Percy's totally handling it like a pro."

They both glanced at Percy, who showed his true feelings by grimly shaking his head, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Anyway," Grover went on. "Would you switch places with me now? You're way better at this GPS thing. And my hooves need a little leg room, anyway."

Percy refused to stop, so a complicated climbing maneuver was done twice, in which everyone was elbowed in the face at least once.

"Hi." Annabeth said sweetly, once fixed in the front seat. She swept back her disheveled hair and leaned toward Percy.

"Hi." He gave her a surly look.

She laughed and loosened her seatbelt so she could reach him, planting a kiss on his ear. He squeezed her knee, leaving his hand there.

"We're almost to the beach," she said, prodding the GPS. "Can you feel it?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, quiet for a minute. "Yeah." He said finally. "Yeah. I kind of can."

Annabeth rolled down her window; abruptly, she felt made of air. The combination of a sound rest, of the warm sunshine, the salty breeze floating through the car—a smell that meant summer, meant home, that had also become intrinsically linked with her favorite person.

She laughed, throwing one arm out the window, careless, carefree.

"I tried to tell you guys this whole college thing was a bad idea." Grover said from the backseat. "You missed New York too much. New York missed you. Just look at Annabeth—you belong here!"

The side of Percy's mouth quirked. "Yeah, well, it's done with. And it's summer. And we're back."

Annabeth turned around and shoved Grover's knee, smiling. "Yeah, and we missed _New York_, too. A lot." She glanced from him to Percy. "But—we're back."

He looked at her for a long minute, then took her hand, braiding their fingers. She took a deep breath, looking again out at the oncoming coastline of Montauk.

Some feelings were too big to express.

…

"Hey, Grover. Wanna go for a swim?" Annabeth pulled a hoodie over her swimsuit, hand already on the door.

"Yeah, uh, I'm gonna go with no-freaking-way. It's getting dark! Do you know what the temperature—?

"But we're alive!" Annabeth threw her arms wide for a second, spinning in a circle. She still hadn't come down from her high in the morning. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"So, yeah, still a no from me." Grover paused. "I think Percy's looking for you, though."

"Looking—? He's still doing his underwater, communing with his kingdom thing." Annabeth tucked her hair up. "I _hate_ when he disappears under there."

"You hate when he does stuff where you can't follow." Grover grinned.

Annabeth ignored him. "Well, you know where to find me."

The beach was indeed darkening; the sun had just set, it's blood orange rays still fading. Annabeth walked bare-legged down the pier, the breeze whipping her hair. She breathed deeply, squinting across the water. It was so strange, what the ocean had come to mean to her. The jagged way it made her feel.

She stopped when she saw a strange ripple on the water; when nothing happened, she turned back toward the sand—and strong arms grabbed her, one hand covering her eyes. Hands she knew by heart.

"I cannot believe y—" A hand covered her mouth. She'd tried to say _managed to sneak up on me._ But then, the sea was his territory.

Percy laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple. She half-heartedly tried to kick him in the shin, but didn't put much strength into it.

He walked her forward down the pier. She held onto his arm. "I swear, if you push me into the water—"

His mouth was by her ear. "Isn't that what you wanted? You're wearing a swimsuit."

But he stopped at the edge, holding her. She was about to pry his hand from her eyes—but then she didn't. It was sort of sexy, being held at the edge of a drop-off, right up against his chest, forced into the dark. With the set sun and the live water lapping all around, it was exhilarating; it was an extension of her thrill from before.

His lips were on her neck. "You look so sexy in old sweatshirts."

"Well, you know how I try for you."

"Mmm."

They were quiet for a long time. His hand slackened over her eyes, but she let it stay. She leaned back into him, putting herself in his hands, trusting him.

The sea-breeze played across her face, the familiar salt-air calling an old song. She breathed deeply, feeling soothed. "I love the ocean."

He smiled against the back of her head. "And I like you a lot, Annabeth Chase."

She bit back her own smile. "Whatever. I like you too."

Suddenly he eased his hand down from her eyes, loosening his grip on her. She blinked at the sudden dusky light; the ocean looked different, though she couldn't put her finger on how. One moment it seemed still, the next it was…excited.

Percy was looking over his shoulder at the beach, distracted. Then he started toward the sand, grabbing her wrist to tow her along. "Come on, over here."

"Why are you—"

They stopped on the sand, breathless. He towered over her, grabbing her close and grinning. "I just like bossing you around."

She tried for a scathing look, but couldn't quite manage it, the way he was looking at her. The wind was kicking up, blowing their hair around. It blew the breath out of her chest, too, the way that only the ocean could do.

The ocean and one other thing.

"I can't believe we did it." She heard herself say. She looked at him, and she didn't know what he could see on her face. She wasn't even sure what exactly she meant—a lot of things, really.

"I can." Percy looked back at her steadily. A hard, rare look was in his eyes; something burning. Something unique to this moment, to them.

All the sudden, the bottom dropped out from Annabeth's feet. All the blood drained from her face. Her heart began to race a mile per second; she opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"Annabeth—" He stepped closer to her, and she knew he could feel how she felt, because they were in the same sphere; a happiness so real, so sharp, that it cut like pain.

"Annabeth." He laughed once, but it cut with a damp throat-clearing. "Αγάπη μου." Greek words_: my love._ He was holding something in his hand.

She swallowed hard, tears already forming, and squeezed her eyes shut against the overwhelming-ness, the joy so big it felt like terror.

"Annabeth." He laughed again, but kept on going, his voice strong—so positive, so right. "I want this. I want everything we've built—our world together. Everyday." He grabbed her face and held it steady, so she opened her eyes and saw him. "I want you. Annabeth. I will always love you. It's always been you and me."

At this point she was crying so hard she could hardly see straight, much less speak. Percy kept going. "That's all there is, Annabeth. You and me. I love you. _Αγάπη μου._" His eyes were locked on hers. "Marry me. Please marry me."

Through her crying, he held up the ring. It wasn't in a box; it was a pale sapphire, old and delicate and so, so beautiful. Perfect.

She lifted a hand to her face, unable to articulate what was happening to her in this moment, what her life had come to, what it all meant. But he knew.

He knew.

"Please marry me. Please marry me." He repeated in a whisper, leaning their faces close, the crazed, wild happiness brimming over. "Marry me." He leaned their foreheads together; she was crying too hard to kiss. "Marry me."

And then she was able to turn her comatose breakdown into nodding, as she realized that came next, and that was it—then there was nothing else—just the wild, unrestrained victory of the world changing. Just him checking to make sure that she really was okay and not having a heart attack, and then picking her up, whirling her around, hearing her shriek and shriek and shriek her feelings onto the wild ocean wind.

A happiness too big to ever, ever be reigned.

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**Thanks for reading! Find me on tumblr: annabeth-in-olympus. I read and SO appreciate all reviews. xo. **


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